Volturi Fading
by Metallica1862
Summary: Yelena Natalya Rudnikov never intended to fall into the hands of the Volturi, nor had she any aspirations of becoming one of them...but fate is sometimes a very fickle mistress indeed. Natalya's time as a member of the Volturi was a living hell. Can she escape and can the Cullen's and Theron help her turn not only from Volterra but from total insanity or will she perish instead.
1. (Prologue) Corruption

PROLOGUE

_Corruption_

_The sound of firm footsteps and the soft rustle of fabric moving toward her made cold shivers radiate down her spine. Her entire body quivered in response to the prospect of what was looming in her future. She pulled feebly against the force that was preventing her from lifting her arms to remove whatever was obstructing her vision and speech. She shivered again –her body's reflexive response to the damp chill of the air and her inability to move from the standing posture that had her trapped._

_ She could feel a presence looming in front of her even though she could not see past the thick blackness that encased her eyes. The hair upon her arms stood on end, sending little tingles of lightning and soft shivers radiating over her upper torso. "Please you have to help me, where am I?" The fear of the unknown was on the verge of overwhelming her even though she was valiantly fighting against it. She knew that if she allowed herself to succumb to the hunter known as panic that she would likely lose her life before she ever understood what was happening to her._

"Your fear is palpable," A voice purred softly in her ear. There was a rustling sound followed closely by the sound of rattling chains, "Your mind and soul are beautiful as well but I haven't yet learned your name my sweet."

_ A cold hand caressed her cheek, the shock of it startling her to the point that she flinched. Another wave of cold radiated down her spine and she could feel goose pimples forming in masses on her arms as the hand took hold of hers. She tried to pull her hand free, the stirring upsetting what she realized then were chains that held her arms at her sides. It was a revelation that nearly sent her into the arms of panic as it dawned on her that there was really no escape at least not in the temporary future.  
_"Ah, such tenderness yet such spirit, " He touched his cheek to her hand, his expression turning into his usual unfocused one as he began to probe her mind in an effort to see through her and learn of her name and the gift that he already knew she held.

_She pulled her hand upward as much as her shackles would allow, the sudden movement causing the top of her hand to catch him in the cheek. A spike of pain surged through her temples as he began to probe her mind. The pain made her flinch inciting a response that definitely caught his attention. She began pushing back, forcing his probe into one mental corner and confining it there. She allowed him to retrieve just enough information to assuage his curiosity before dispelling him even though the effort nearly forced her into unconsciousness. _

He jerked away, "My, oh my, you are more spirited than I first guessed Natalya. We will have to teach you some manners my little one." He jerked lightly on the chains forcing her hand down to her side. He turned the levers that controlled the chains, retracting the excess slack onto the pulleys, pulling the chains taut and locking them in position. Chuckling, he rubbed his hand once more against her cheek.

_She swayed, her legs buckling weakly as her awareness faded from the effort of fighting off his probing of her thoughts. Her head throbbed in time to the beating of her heart and her body broke out all over in beads of cold sweat. The chains rustled as she restlessly drifted between full awareness and the deafening blackness of total unconsciousness. _

"Now, now my pet, there is no time for sleep," He gently tapped her cheek, the sound enough to make her jerk awake. He enjoyed watching this beautiful mortal female fight a useless battle of wills against him. The torture of her struggle made his smile grow even though anger boiled under its surface at the fact that she had defended against his mental probe.

_The stinging against her cheek startled her into a fit of restless motion. She feebly pulled against the chains, fighting a cloud of fog that threatened to overwhelm her. The pain radiating inside her skull was enough to make her faint and she could feel all the color draining from her face as she struggled to keep herself focused. The tendrils of his mind reached into her own as he once again began to probe her thoughts. Instead of forcing him back, she did the opposite—allowing the probe to flow through her mind but blanketing the secrets that she did not wish to reveal—once more thwarting his intentions. This time though, her physical status was not negatively affected by the effort which helped to keep her at least somewhat more alert than before._

He stopped his torment briefly, turning as two members of his guard entered his study for orders, "Go and tell my brothers I will be late for our lunch as I am currently indisposed." With a wave of his hand, he dismissed them before pulling off his over-cloak and returning his attention to the young woman known as Natalya.

"What do you plan to do with her, Master Aro?" A voice came from somewhere near the door of his chambers. He glanced back only briefly to find Felix standing in the archway, his arms crossed upon his chest and a satisfied grin gracing the usual emotionless features. He had been watching for a good ten minutes as Aro tormented the girl with his mind probes and sickening, but childishly twisted fascination with her.

"You have done well to bring her to me," Aro mused fondling the locks of caramel coated chocolate hair that lay tangled against her shoulders. "She is quite gifted and once her spirit is broken a bit and she has learned her place, she will no longer be a captive but free to enjoy the amenities that we pride ourselves on here in Volterra."

"We don't need another Jane," Felix hissed his tone rather clipped. He watched as Aro turned a series of levers, raising a steel panel from the floor just behind where his new pet was currently being held. "One Jane is enough trouble and she's even more so when she's jealous."

"Are you questioning my authority, Felix?" His tone turned dangerous then as he secured Natalya's upper torso to the panel in an effort to still her useless struggling and quiet the rattling of the chains. He repeated the process with her wrists and legs so that now she would remain in a full standing position with no ability to sway back and forth.

_She shook her head, pulling against the chains only to find that they no longer allowed her to lift or even move her arms. It was at that moment that she realized that she was held immobile, her back pressed against something cold and hard. She tried to scream, the sound only a strained squeak against the gag. Her ears strained to hear movement, to determine what her captor might do next as she rubbed her head against the panel in an valiant attempt to dislodge whatever was keeping her blinded. _

Felix shook his head, "If you're going to insist on keeping her, then at least quicken the process for one completely psychotic Jane is plenty to have to deal with on a daily basis." Before his Master could respond or reprimand him for his rather forked tongue, he moved on to carry out his daily routine knowing that Aro would not follow, not being so fascinated with the new Volturi prospect.

"Now, now my sweet," Aro crooned softly caressing the locks of her hair with a hand. "The adjustment in your position is merely to prevent you from injuring yourself." He insisted placing his hand once more against her cheek. "To be free we must come to an agreement that includes your complete cooperation."

_She jerked her head, pulling it away from his hand and mentally locking the doors to her mind in an effort to prevent him from entering there again. Her entire body was now trembling as being pressed against the cold metal only made the chill of the air around her even more so. Tendrils of fear snaked forward from the depths of her mind and if it hadn't been for the fact that being held still was starting to anger her, she would have allowed those tendrils to take over. She shook her head restlessly trying to dislodge the blindfold and also keeping her cheek free of his hand. _

Aro growled low in his throat, "Now none of that, you're mine." He tapped her cheek with his hand focusing her attention to him. He leaned down pressing his face in close to her neck. "You need to learn that you're not getting free until you will willingly obey me." He reached over and grabbed a small plastic box putting it to her shoulder. There was a click as he activated it, sending a mild jolt of electricity arcing into her muscles. The amperage was enough to cause her body to twitch uncontrollably but not enough to cause permanent damage or injury to her nervous system.

_ She moaned as the tendrils of heated fire coursed through her body, setting hot needles pulsing up and down her spine. Frantically she rubbed her head against the steel panel, tugging against her bonds in a feeble attempt to pull free or rid her eyes of the blackness that encased them. Tendrils of fear rose up once again as the realization that she could not move or free herself frightened her even more. She felt his hand once more as it caressed the nape of her neck and then his breath as it sent little ripples of chill down her spine. "What are you doing? Get away from me!" She tried again to speak, the sound only a strangled peep against whatever was in her mouth. _

"One day, my sweet, you will thank me for taking you away from the world of mortality and giving you the gift of acceptance and a proper and permanent place here in Volterra." He sucked in the scent of her skin, chuckling softly in her ear. She had the most amazing scent besides the fact that she was very spirited and harbored a powerful mental gift. As much as he wanted to lengthen the process of turning her, giving her a chance to adjust to his prying mind and feel comfortable in his presence, he knew that Felix had a valid point. Another female Volturi with a partially fractured mentality like Jane would possibly bring much chaos to Volterra especially since Natalya and Jane would need to work together as a cohesive force in the future.


	2. Future

_Future_

_{Natalya's POV}_

I realized from the first time I had to work with Jane for longer than ten minutes that I did not much care for her nor did I intend on being close acquaintances with her either. To say her mind was a bit fractured and that she was a bit daffy was putting it nicely. That little blonde headed midget went beyond psychotic, she was more like padded and padlocked room material.

Of course, I spent the first six months of my life as Volturi having no choice in whom I associated with or shadowed as I was unable to even voice my opinions or anything else for that matter. The only way newborns are allowed to feed is via a bag attached to a tube that is inserted in the artery at the base of the neck. They continue to be force fed in this manner until they are deemed able to follow commands and take orders without complaint or outright rebellion. That's why it took me six months to become trustworthy enough to lose my newborn status and thereby lose the gag that prevented me from giving Jane a verbal what for, and the semi-permanent set of chains and manacles that prevented me from going unnoticed for even a few seconds.

In that six month time span, the high ranking members of the Volturi, especially Aro and his brothers, learned just exactly how much spunk and spirit I really had as they each found out one by one that I was far from scared of any of them. It was more like; I wanted to destroy all of them from the very beginning even though I was now one of them.

It was that egotistical asshole known as Caius that had to put himself in the middle of a full-blown, knock down drag out, hair pulling, fist fight between Jane and I just to keep me from actually destroying her. It was at that moment, only a mere two weeks after I had been deemed trustworthy enough to at least lose the gag, that they all realized that to put us in the same room even for brief periods was asking for a nuclear bomb to go off on that blonde bitch's pretty little head.

"Hey, enough! You two are going to have to learn to get along," He hissed lifting us both off the floor by our hair and carrying us into one of the empty rooms that Master Aro frequently used to contain newborns.

"Put me down Master Caius, she started it," Jane whined, one of the many traits that I absolutely despised about her. And the bad part was the way she whined, in that glorified, ass kissing voice that she used when she wanted to be in the right or get her way: which was most of the time.

"Shut up Jane," Caius ordered locking her to one of the iron panels along the wall of the room. "I don't care who started it, you both are going to learn to coexist one way or another even if that means that you spend a few days together in confinement." He locked me to one of the other panels on the opposite wall but not before I let his manhood have a good bashing with my knees just for good measure.

It wasn't by my own choice that I became a Volturi, I was turned against my own will and it was my intention to make it very well known as to how I felt about the situation. I pulled violently against the confinement as dark-headed Marcus knelt to finish locking my feet and legs to the panel. He shook his head at me as he finished one leg and began on the other. His attitude was annoying and the fact that he was acting like Jane only fueled my irritation. I brought my knee up, with sufficient velocity to catch him square in the mouth. It was enough that he almost lost his balance and landed on his ass in front of me.

He rose to his feet, putting his hand around my throat and locking his gaze with mine. "You are quite the hellion, do you wish to be confined permanently, as I'm sure Master Aro would be more than willing to arrange it." He gruffly raked the hair back from my cheeks with one finger, and just his hand against my face sent angry tendrils of fire coursing through my blood.

My response—I spat a large wad of phlegm into his face. The warm slimy surprise hitting him square between the eyes was enough that he took at least two steps backward, immediately taking his hand from my neck. I glared at him, then Caius and if looks could have killed, they both would have been burnt to a cinder. If that response wasn't enough to answer his question then it was obvious that Aro had sucked his brain out through a straw.

"Master Caius, I told you she was the instigator," Jane interrupted, her tone insistent behind that irritating whine. She pulled against her bonds. "Let me go!" Oh, so now she was being demanding, which only made her sound more and more like a four year old child that needed a good spanking.

"Did your mother forget to change your diaper, Jane?" I hissed feeling my dislike of her boil over inside. She focused on me then only to find that I was either quite immune to her measly little gift or I had one hell of a tolerance for pain. "Oh I'm sorry, four year old gifts don't work on me, and sniveling brats make me want to puke."

"Enough!" Caius' voice echoed along the walls of the room and just the force of it was sufficient to stop the bickering between Jane and I. He turned to Marcus who had finally managed to wipe the spit from his face. "Both of them are to be subjected to 50 lashes and full confinement in the same room for a minimum of three days. Gag them both and should they cause further problems the confinement can be extended times three days until they learn to coexist." He turned then and struck Jane firmly across the cheek with his hand before moving over to do the same to me.

"Caius, what about feedings, they must…" Marcus' question trailed as the wave of anger radiating from Caius hit him square in the chest.

"If they wish to act like newborns then they will be treated as such." He answered, the hint of a smile creasing his features at the appalled glare he received from Jane. "Don't push your luck, Jane, I could always deny you sustenance for the time of your confinement." It was obvious by the way she diverted her gaze then that the threat was enough to squelch any argument she might have been about to throw at him.

"Don't you think the lashings are a bit much, I mean…" Marcus' objection died before he finished as Caius leveled a stony, ice cold glare upon him. He watched as Caius roughly fitted and secured Jane's gag, having to force her head still just to be able to put it in her mouth.

"They must learn to coexist, Marcus," He reminded handing Marcus another gag for use on me. "It is a lesson that apparently will need reinforcement with these two on a regular basis. I'm sure the lashes will be plenty of reinforcement as neither of them has ever been subjected to such severe punishment." He watched as Marcus fitted and secured my gag, getting his fingers bitten in the process before he finally managed to fully secure it.

Marcus snarled in response to the pain of getting bitten before raking my face hard with the back of his hand. He leaned in close, "You would be wise not to cause any further trouble. As you are about to find out, lashings are a severe form of punishment that will certainly break your rebellious streak."

Since I couldn't verbally respond, I merely did the next best thing. I flew him the bird in stereo with the volume cranked up full blast. My darkening gaze, a trait that I had acquired as a child from my mother, whom every time she became angry her eye color changed from a soft hazel to almost black, was enough to at least get him to leave me alone. _'That shows what you know.'_ I thought to myself, _'Smarter and stronger than you have already tried breaking me. They ended up in the ground'_

"Come along Marcus," Caius finished giving Jane several swift rakes to the face with his hand before turning to exit the room. "Enjoy the brief respite before your punishment for afterward you will be in too much pain to continue your rebellious ways." He dimmed the lighting so that Jane and I could just barely see each other from our confined positions on opposite walls. I listened as the door boomed shut followed by a raspy hiss as the lock was engaged from the outside. It was as if an alarm had been sounded and even though I was unsure of my own future after this punishment, deep down I was giddy with amusement and pleasure knowing that the little blonde wench was going to get her just desserts.

"You take Natalya and I'll take Jane," Marcus ordered lighting the room enough so that they could see.

Demetri gave a nod and moved to prepare to escort me to the room where Jane and I would receive our punishment. I watched Marcus attach a length of pipe to the manacles at Jane's wrists, making sure that they were shackled securely near its ends. He looped a chain around her waist, pulling it snug and locking it in place before releasing her arms from the panel and securing the center of the pipe with a short length of chain to what was now a secure belt at her waist. The weight of the pipe and the fact that the center chain wasn't pulled snug forced Jane's arms down into a locked, splayed position. He released her lower body, attaching a chain to the center of the manacles on her ankles and attaching it's free end to center of the pipe, pulling out most of the slack and preventing her from even attempting to lift the pipe to bend her arms.

Jane glared at him struggling uselessly throughout the entire process. She was unable to get free and her combative posture only worked to anger Marcus. "I can always make 50 lashes into 75, I'm sure Caius would not be opposed to that if he were to hear of your belligerence." The threat merely caused Jane's glare to grow even colder as Marcus slipped a thick black canvas hood over her head and secured it at her neck. By the time he had finished with Jane, Demetri had finished the same chaining procedure with me and even though my gaze could have drilled holes through steel, he didn't seem the least bit phased and I decided not to be so combative at least not until he went to cover my face with the hood.

_No, not the blackness, no!_ I tried futilely to scream, the sound barely a strangled squeak as the realization that I would be blinded sent a wave of panic coursing through my body. My fight or flight instinct had, at that moment been engaged as fear overwhelmed any rational thought—a fear that was laced with anger.

It was at that moment, Demetri found out just how I felt about being Volturi. I fought him, catching him twice in the abdomen with one end of the pipe that held my arms. "Damn you!" He hissed grabbing a fist full of my hair in an effort to force me into submission. I shook my head violently, not caring that the motion was most likely jerking out my hair by the handful. It wasn't until he locked his hand around my throat and tightened his grip that I gave in to his insistence, not really wanting to die before I had the chance to exact my revenge on Aro for turning me into a creature that I found more and more despicable by the minute. "I should destroy you right here and if it weren't for the fact that you're about to understand the meaning of punishment…" He yanked the hood down over my face, before releasing his grip on my throat and backhanding me hard across the jaw…

If I had been wondering why the manacles on my wrists were attached to the length of pipe, the answer came almost instantly even though I couldn't see what was happening. The pipe was released from my waist, lifted above my head and locked into place. Moments later, I could feel myself being lifted from the floor, the weight of my body stretching me into a vertical prone position; arms locked straight and splayed above me. A heavy length of chain was secured across my hips, the weight holding me against what felt like a concrete slab. There was weight then at my feet as chains were attached to each of the manacles on my ankles and all the slack retracted from each chain into what I assumed were pulleys recessed into the floor. I moaned in discomfort, the sound merely a strangled mumble, as my body was pulled in opposing directions to a point just beyond its limits, locking my position so that I was unable to even flinch. My robe was cut away exposing the flesh of my back and legs. I smiled inside as I knew that they were doing the same with Jane

That smile was short lived as I heard the loud crack only a split second before burning lightning pulsed across my back, sending spikes of intense heated pain coursing through my body. The crack came again and I could tell by the direction of the sound that it was Jane who would now feel the pain of punishment…

"Make certain that the last forty leave permanent marks," Caius reminded as Felix continued the torturous punishment.

"Once I put fire to the grooved edges of the bone slivers attached to the knots; the cuts will be branded permanently into their flesh and the marks will remain even after the flesh heals."

Caius gave a nod as he watched Felix swing, with deadly precision, the modified cat-o-nine tails. The thick leather whip had been specially created for just this purpose and at 8 feet in length with nine knotted ends fitted with sharp, grooved bone barbs; each strike did considerable damage to exposed flesh. "When you have completed their lashing, leave them in their current positions until the lacerations have dried completely then return them to their previous confinement in new robes. Marcus, you mentioned to me that you had some problems with belligerence as you were preparing to bring them here?"

"Yes, mostly with Jane but Natalya did give Demetri trouble when he went to hood her." Marcus answered making certain that his voice was loud enough for both Jane and I to hear over the crack of the whip and our mounting physical torment.

_You fucking asshole_, I thought to myself before the pain of a strike overrode any sort of concentrated mental activity. _Your ass is so going to be mine when I get free from this hell_…

"Hhmm," There was a rather stale silence as Caius processed what Marcus had told him, of course the pause in conversation had no affect on the process of applying the 50 lashes to Jane and I, but the prospect of having the punishment extended did manage to catch my attention; when I could get my mind to focus through the increasing pain enough to listen to what was being said. "Extend the confinement by three days and take away their ability to see for three of the six days. Aro is expected to return during the final part of that time frame and I am certain that he will wish to speak with them while they are still in a cooperative state."

'_No, oh god please no,'_ Fear began to well up around the brutal pain that was now threatening to overtake my mental capacity to the point that I bordered on slipping into semi-conscious stupor. The idea of being subjected to never-ending blackness for three days was almost more than I could bear. It was the one thing I absolutely feared more than even being tortured with this horrible whipping. To be blinded was the epitome of will-breaking torment. It was the one phobia that even to this day I could not shake and I had only my father to blame for its origin.

Marcus nodded in response to Caius' new orders, watching as Felix set fire to the edges of the bone barbs at the end of each of the knots in the whip. The edges would remain aflame even as he wielded it to finish out the last 40 lashes. They had been coated in a highly flammable tar-like substance. It not only burned at a temperature hot enough to brand flesh but the residue it left in the wound tracks had the added bonus of setting the nerves in the outer layers of skin and flesh on fire, creating a nasty stinging sensation that would linger with flame like intensity for several days.

Forty lashes later, the punishment ended and Jane and I were left alone to suffer with our wounds and the torment of our vertically prone, stretched positions. When the last whip strike was administered, the pulleys controlling the chains at my feet were once again retracted, removing all the excess slack and forcing the bruised and lacerated flesh on my back and legs to stretch, opening the masses of long, deep cuts even further; increasing the horrible, unrelenting burning pain past the point where it was even bearable. My awareness gradually drifted, and even though I fought against it, my mind sank into a heavy stupor all but paralyzing my muscles and shutting down all forms of concentrated, coherent thought...

The brutal pain that had sank me into an incoherent daze lingered even after Jane and I were returned to our original confinement. Before we were released from the position we had been placed in for punishment our bruised and lacerated backs and legs had been coated with a thick tarry substance. It did not rub off when we were forced into new robes and confined once more in a spread-eagle position to the iron panels where we had been previously. The cuts had dried and the repositioning only served to reopen them allowing the tarry substance to aggravate and slow the healing process, increasing the brutal, fiery pain by tenfold. For two days after the punishment we were not allowed sustenance which only worked to deepen the profound delirium and exacerbate the continuous pain…


	3. Hell

_Hell_

(**2 **days later: Natalya's POV)

There was a cold hand against my cheek just below the blindfold. It was the first awareness of my surroundings that I had actually noticed in what seemed like months. I managed to shift my head, even though it was held against the panel with leather straps across my forehead and chin, ever-so-slightly toward the pressure.

"Time for a feeding," A voice insisted, loosening my robe and exposing the arteries in my neck. I flinched, letting off a strangled moan that was all but inaudible through the gag, as the jerking motion of my robe being loosened only aggravated the constant horrible pain radiating through my body. "Next time you'll be a bit more cooperative and not so rebellious," The voice reminded coldly. "It would be wise of you to learn to coexist with Jane and obey orders for the next time your punishment will not be so light."

_The voice sounds familiar but..._ I tried to make my mind focus in an effort to determine which of the high-ranking Volturi were speaking to me. The effort was futile, my mind shutting down as it sank into incoherence once more. My body twitched briefly before the paralysis caused by the pain again took over.

There was a sharp stabbing twinge as a cut was made horizontally across my neck. A tube, twice as large as the cut was roughly inserted into the artery, its free end attached to a bag of blood hung above my head on one of the panel's support bars. The introduction of sustenance along with the continuous excruciating pain of the still aggravated lashes on my back and legs forced me back into delirium. A delirium so deep that nightmares of my childhood began tormenting me and the more I tried to escape, the further into the hellish dreams I sank…

"Edward honey, your phone," Bella called as he came into the den from outside. Helping Emmett rebuild the gazebo must have been a bust because he hadn't been outside more than half an hour and now he was standing before her. She moved to embrace him, handing him his cell phone in the process. "I think it was the Mental Health Facility but I can never be for sure. That number is so similar to the Medical Center; I tend to confuse the two."

"Not difficult to do being as they're only one digit apart," He embraced her with one arm as he hit the redial on his cell phone. She knew that he wasn't happy about being disturbed on a weekend when he had specifically told them he would be seeing no patients and taking no calls. "You would think that these people could figure out how to handle problems for brief periods on their own." He muttered as he waited for someone at the main medication desk to answer the phone.

"Forks Regional Mental Health Facility, this is Chandra," The cool, firm voice of the nurse that had been working with him for the last three years finally answered, "How can I direct your call?"

"Chandra, being that I specifically stated that I did not want to be bothered this weekend, the fact that you called earlier was a bit unexpected so the reason had better be important," Bella shook her head at her mate, smirking at his rather abrupt, subtle scolding of his nurse for disturbing his three day vacation from the stress of dealing with the mental illnesses of others. He always did have a brutal way with people even if he was her knight in shining armor.

"Sorry to bother you, but it's important. The patient in room 405 had another episode about fifteen minutes ago," She revealed letting the revelation hang in the brief silence before continuing. "I put in a call to the Medical Center and as soon as his physician is finished with a surgical case, he will come and examine him. This was the worst episode so far and he's been extremely irritable and nervous ever since."

He shook his head as he realized he would need to make a trip in to work in order to make sure that the proper medication and restraints were used, and in a way that did not cause further harm to a mind that was extremely fragile and still in turmoil. "Thanks for letting me know. Put him in a solitary room and keep him as calm and quiet as possible. Give me half an hour; I have a bit of business to finish with here."

"No problem," She agreed obviously taking notes as to his orders. He could hear paper shuffling in the background. "Sorry for the disturbance but you left word that if he had another episode to contact you."

"It's fine. Thanks Chandra," He agreed beginning to review the particulars of the patient's chart in his head. "Only use minimal restraint until he can be examined and medicated if needed."

"Sure thing, see you in half an hour," She agreed before ending the call.

He put his phone back on the table and turned to Bella who had taken a seat on the sofa. "Not good," he admitted sitting down next to her. He put his arm around her and pulled her close.

"I take it you're going to have to go take care of that situation?" She questioned almost knowing the answer by the expression on his face.

"Unfortunately yes, one of my patients has reoccurring psychotic episodes. He becomes violent toward others and himself. It's a case that both Carlisle and I have been working with in different ways for the last couple weeks." He answered unable to really reveal any concrete details to her even though she was his love and his confidant.

"Are you going to be back in time to go with Nessie and I to feed then?" She questioned as she pulled him in closer to kiss him. "Ness sure looks forward to our usual weekend feeding trip as a family."

He smiled, kissing her again, "Shouldn't take long, I should be back in plenty of time." He insisted holding out his arms as his daughter launched herself into his lap.

"I asked Uncle Emmett if he would build me a tree house," Nessie revealed as she embraced her father in an excited hug. There was never a moment, when she wasn't ecstatic to see her parents or her family.

"Really," Bella answered pushing her daughter's long caramel locks away from her face. She turned to Edward, "Looks like Emmett is going to be busy outside today."

Edward snickered, "Yeah," He turned his attention to his daughter, "And what did your Uncle Emmett tell you when you asked?" The answer was already obvious as he could easily read his daughter's and also Emmett's thoughts even though he was outside away from the house collecting materials for both projects.

Nessie smiled, her excitement radiating outward like ripples on a pond, "He said he would do it only if you and Mom helped him design and decorate it for me."

Bella smiled, "Figures," She mused locking gazes with her mate briefly before focusing once more on their daughter. "I think we can help him design it, but Ness, why don't you go ask your Auntie Alice to help you decorate it?"

Nessie's eyes instantly lit up at the thought of having a tree house decorated by Auntie Alice, her smile widened. "Oooh," She clapped her hands, "I like that idea Mom, where's Auntie Alice?"

"Last I saw her she was in the kitchen with Grandma," Bella answered, giving her daughter a hug as Nessie pushed herself out of her father's lap, "Hey, give your father a hug bye, he has to go in to work for a bit, but he'll be back in time for our family time, okay?"

She nodded and did as her mother had asked before skipping off toward the kitchen. Edward stood then, pulling her up behind him before turning to embrace her. "I'll be back shortly," he insisted kissing her hard on the mouth before pulling his keys from the pocket of his pants. "If you need me, I'll have my phone."

"Okay, be safe," She gave him another quick kiss before allowing him to go take care of the business that was awaiting him at the Mental Health Facility.

(Natalya's POV)

'_No please, don't!' Screaming on the inside, I was terrified of his presence as he gripped my hair with his hand. He shook me until I didn't care any longer whether he defiled me or not. Blackness, oh how I hated the blackness—in the end it always won as he tied my hands behind me and covered my eyes with a dirty rag and pitched me in the shed at the side of the house. The door slammed shut—the rough grating of wood on wood as he barred the door from the outside. _

**Breathe out…**

_ 'What did I do?' The sound of my father tormenting my mother reached my ears. Tears fell from inside the blackness but I didn't dare move._

_** Breathe in; breathe out…**_

_ The sound of my beating heart was loud inside my world as I waited with baited breath to see if those heavy footsteps were moving toward my closet prison. 'You can't be scared Natalya, you can't…' More tears, so many more that they soaked the rag and their warm salty wetness dripped from my face to sting the raw scrapes that littered my knees. _

_**Breathe in; breathe out… **_

_Hours passed, or so it seemed before the wood on wood rasping came again. Muscles tensed as I knew that I would have to face the monster again—the monster, that man that was my father. Rough hands yanked me up, ripping the rag from my face along with strands of my hair. His devilish gaze focused on me, dark eyes boring fiery chasms into my red, puffy orbs._

_**Breathe in; breathe out…**_

_ "Get in the house!" His voice stung my ears as his hand stung my face—a mark that would linger for days just like the morass of raw scrapes on my bare knees and legs. The torment never ceased and no matter how I tried the blackness remained like a demonic cloud waiting to pull me under._

_**Breathe in…**_


	4. Inner Demons

_Inner Demons_

(Edward's POV)

"Dr. Cullen," Chandra called as I arrived at the door to Santiago's room. "Thank goodness you're here," It was apparent that she was concerned and a bit on edge.

"What's happened?" I questioned putting a hand upon on her shoulder briefly in an attempt to calm her nerves.

"An orderly along with the day nurse went to put cuffs on him so that he didn't further injure himself and while they were placing the restraint on his ankles, he had another episode. He is currently holding the nurse hostage. The orderly very likely has some cracked ribs from the confrontation. He has been very combative since the first episode."

I gave a nod, "Chandra, go to the main desk and await Carlisle. When he arrives send him here immediately." I ordered looking through the small window in the cell door. "Have Jackson bring me a straightjacket."

"Yes doctor," She answered turning to carry out my orders without any hesitation. I had only been standing at the door a matter of minutes when Jackson arrived with the straightjacket and my lab coat.

"Stand here, keep the intercom on in case I need your assistance," I shrugged on my coat and, taking the straightjacket in hand, entered Santiago's room. I found him with the nurse pinned in the opposite corner, his hands firmly interlaced around her throat. "Let her go Santiago, she's not here to harm you."

He chuckled wildly, his mannerisms nervous and his posture threatening. "They want to hurt me…I must destroy them all…" His hands quivered as he put pressure against her throat. Of course, the fear and panic that was radiating from her was palpable to the point that even Santiago whom had been, at one point, the least gifted of the Volturi, could have sensed it.

"No one wants to harm you," I reiterated very slowly moving toward him, keeping my posture relaxed and the straightjacket hidden behind my back. "Marlenna, just stay calm, I'm not going to allow him to harm you, okay?"

She nodded, keeping still so that she didn't further incite Santiago's sudden psychosis. "I…" Her voice, a strained whisper, was choked off by the pressure of Santiago's hands. As he tightened his grip she began to struggle to breathe.

"Santiago," I called attempting to focus his tormented mind away from the prospect of killing her and onto me instead. "Has she harmed you?" I questioned knowing the answer but wanting to keep his full attention so that he would relax the death grip he had on her throat.

He shook his head, at once giving an affirmative and then a negative response to the same question. I smiled, "Now how is it possible for there to be two opposing answers to that question?" I pressed slowly closing the distance between us.

His eyes shifted to center on me. I realized then that his medication had dissipated from the aggravation and adrenaline overload caused by the back-to-back episodes. "There are no correct answers, only obedience." He shivered reflexively relaxing enough that she was able to breathe a bit easier.

"Let her go, Santiago, and let's talk about your confusion," I could feel then Carlisle's presence without needing to see him. He moved up behind me and took the straightjacket. I knew without asking that he would have his medical case and Santiago's medications as well.

"Only talk to purebloods, never talk to abominations," He insisted spinning her around and pushing her face against the wall of the cell. He took a deep breath, taking in her scent before licking the back of her neck like his Vampire nature when preparing to feed.

"Easy Marlenna, you're safe," I soothed knowing that she was in no danger. His mind had been so badly fractured that it no longer registered the fact that he was Vampire.

Santiago had once been Volturi, and if given the chance then he would have not hesitated to drain her life force thereby taking her life. He had broken from Volterra and once in America, he'd allowed an Elder member of the Shonnu' to reverse the bite that Aro Volturi had used to create him. Due to what turned out to be a botched reversal process that had been rushed in its completion, his mind had been fractured. Now he was a mere shadow of the Santiago that once was, as the grip of insanity slowly shattered his mental faculties forcing him into permanent residence inside a padded, padlocked cell.

His actions only succeeded in terrifying Marlenna to the point that she screamed. Without warning, she pushed back, flailing her elbows and catching him firmly in the abdomen. The blow was enough to put space between them and she didn't waste time breaking his grip upon her lab jacket and moving away from him.

"Calm down, you're free now. Are you okay?" Carlisle questioned as she took a position behind him, her eyes full of tears. She was visibly shaken and it was obvious that she had no intention of returning to this room or dealing with Santiago as a patient ever again.

She rubbed the back of her neck, the dampness left by his saliva enough to turn her pale. "I'm…I -I'm okay…" She answered softly, her vision doubled then and her knees buckled. She jerked back, her muscles tensing briefly in response to the fact that Santiago had moved away from the wall to face me.

"Here," He helped her to sit down near the door before returning to his place behind me, "You'll be safe there, just stay seated."

Santiago clutched his stomach, "Bitch!" He cursed; white spittle dripping from the corner of his mouth as he scratched against the wall with his free hand. "Abomination, you…she belongs to me!"

"No Santiago, no one belongs to you any longer," I held my ground knowing by his shifting demeanor that he was on the verge of another violent episode. As much I had wanted to refrain from restraining him with the straightjacket, it was quite apparent that it was going to be the only way to get him into a controlled state once more.

"But they will," He muttered coldly. It was in that moment that he launched himself at me, his hands going immediately for my throat. His eyes darkened and his gaze turned feral, "You abomination…you will belong to me."

"No," I caught his hands and spun him, pulling his arms behind him as Carlisle readied the jacket. It took some effort and he fought it but finally after half an hour of struggling with him, between Carlisle and I and we were able to get the jacket on him and semi-secured.

"Here Edward," Carlisle handed me two loaded syringes, both of which contained specific doses of anti-psychotic and tranquilizing medications.

I took them and injected their contents into the vein at Santiago's neck, watching as the medications had an almost immediate effect. His muscles relaxed as he let himself sink into a sitting position against the wall of the cell. His eyes glazed over as the raging in his mind quieted once more. "Santiago, are you okay now?" I questioned as Carlisle examined and treated his self-inflicted wounds. Even though he was still Vampire, his body's rapid healing processes had been destroyed in the reversal process, making him semi-mortal in the fact that he was now very susceptible to wound infections that if left untreated would end his existence.

"The wounds are superficial but will still need treatment to heal and prevent infection," Carlisle admitted covering the worst of the cuts with medicated dressings before I settled the straightjacket and fully secured it, making sure that the straps were snug and that he was no longer in danger of injuring himself or the staff.

Santiago's glassy gaze came to focus upon me then, "They're coming for me, please you have to protect me," His words were slurred and his eyes were droopy from the sedating effect of the anti-psychotic drugs but inside he remained utterly terrified.

I helped him up from the floor, "Let's get you into bed," He didn't struggle as we led him over to the bed and helped him to lie down. Carlisle finished securing the cuffs on his ankles as I sat down on the edge of the bed, "Santiago, who is coming for you?" I questioned calmly as he began to lose the battle with sleep.

"Old red eyes," He mumbled shivering reflexively as the demon's visage flashed across his mind, "He's coming, he'll kill me, you have to…" His words faded as sleep overwhelmed him.

Carlisle and I both knew who Santiago feared and even though I doubted that Aro would send the Volturi guard to look for and or retrieve him after almost six months, the fact that the possibility existed was enough to set the hair on the back of my neck on edge.

"Old red eyes," Carlisle shook his head, "We need to remain on alert. I believe his delirium is slowly getting worse even if his fear is relevant." He moved and carefully helped Marlenna up from the floor, putting a hand between her shoulder-blades to guide her as she was still shaken from her ordeal.

I nodded, "It sure seems that way," We exited the cell, leaving Santiago to sleep off the temporary sedating effect of the medications. I turned to Jackson, "He's to remain in the straightjacket and the ankle cuffs until further notice as his medication will need further adjustment in order to gain control of the psychosis. Otherwise he is free to roam the cell."

"Yes doctor," Jackson answered as we moved back down the hall toward the medication desk, Santiago's words replaying like a bad horror movie in my mind.

(Natalya's POV)

_**Breathe out…**_

_"Yelena Natalya, what have you done?" A hand grabbed my tattered shirt and jerked me away from the cot where my little brother lay gasping for breath. _

_ "I did nothing," I answered as mother shoved me back into the door—into my father's steel grip. The shaking paused only when my eyes closed and blood dripped from my forehead. _

_ "You little wench," Father hissed covering my face again with the dirty rag and dragging me off to the shed. He bound my arms with twine before pitching me into the closet-sized room only to slam and lock the door._

_** Breathe in, breathe out…**_

_Tears streamed from my cheeks-the overwhelming feeling of death—the death of my brother—so many deaths, so much torment. The blackness, as I lay on the floor, blood mixed with tears soaking the rag over my face, I felt dead—dead children don't have lives. I was nothing but a rag to be tossed into the garbage when no longer useful…_

_**Breathe in…**_

The stinging pop of a firm hand against my face startled me out of the delirium of pain induced unconsciousness and back to the pain of reality. My muscles twitched briefly as the paralysis lifted and my awareness returned. I moved as much as confinement would allow, listening for the sound of a voice that I knew would follow the hand.

"It has been made known to me that you and Jane cannot be trusted to work together," The voice came and I could hear the steel gears being set into motion as the panels that held Jane and I confined were lowered to the floor.

'_Aro…'_ I thought, my insides instantly beginning to boil at just the sound of his voice. I didn't dare move for even the slightest motion set the still healing lacerations on my back and legs on fire. There was light then as he roughly removed the blindfold from my face, cupping his hand under my chin and gripping my cheeks to force the rubber gag further back in my mouth. '_You won't break me, I won't allow it! And that little blonde wench will get hers in the end, mark my words.' _

He chuckled at my inability to give up and acquiesce to the fact that I was now Volturi and no longer free to live my own life. "50 lashes later and you still insist on testing my patience with your outright rebellion. To be free in Volterra, you must learn to coexist and obey the orders given to you by members of this coven that are of higher rank." He clenched my face to the point that I nearly choked on the gag. "I have no patience nor do I care what the issues are between you and Jane. You two will coexist or your existences will be terminated permanently."

"What are your orders, Master Aro?" Felix questioned as he and Marcus entered the room, apparently they had been called there by Aro at some point during his scolding of Jane and I.

Aro rubbed his chin as his mind processed the best course of action. Finally, after a few minutes of being brutally annoying in his usual psychotic child like manner, he spun to face the two members of his guard. "Separate them. Once Jane is secure in a solitary room, where she is to remain confined for another full week; then bring me Natalya as I wish to speak with her privately. Do be sure that both remain in chains and manacles with gags in place."

I realized then that Jane's haughty glare was not only focused upon me but also upon Aro, as Felix and Marcus went to carry out his orders. She struggled violently as they released her from the panel and secured her once more for transport. Inside, I smiled as Felix grabbed her face and gave it a good, solid backhand before roughly pulling the hood over her head to try and counter her combativeness.

"Jane my dear," Aro crooned moving to take hold of her face, "If you cannot control your temper then you will continue to be confined." He pulled the hood up to stare into her eyes, "You would be wise not to test my patience as you have already rebelled quite enough for now." He smiled eerily, squeezing her cheeks and finding pleasure in the slight expression of discomfort that appeared upon her face before pulling the hood down once more. "Take her to her room, confine her, and leave the hood on as well, we shall see how long she wishes to continue this cycle of rebellion. I will see Natalya in my study, Marcus."

"Yes Master Aro," Felix answered roughly escorting Jane from the room. I watched as they exited and Marcus moved to release me from the panel and carry out Aro's orders.

'W_hatever it is that you want Aro, you'll get it. You just may not like the taste of it when you do._'


	5. Blood Veil

_Blood Veil_

"Ah my sweet Natalya," A smile embraced Aro's features as Marcus escorted me into what was obviously Aro's study. He pushed me forward, and then stood awaiting orders.

The weight of the manacles at my ankles caused me to stumble, nearly losing my balance completely as I tripped over the corner of a huge rectangular ornate rug that adorned the center of the room. The chains linking my bonds rattled briefly as I fought to keep my balance and not land flat on my ass at Aro's feet. I glared over my shoulder briefly at Marcus. _'Thanks for the help asshole!' _

"Marcus, you may go about your business," Aro ordered moving to take me by the arm. "I am quite capable of handling her alone." He gave a sharp wave of his hand signaling that he was dismissed from his presence.

Marcus gave a brief bow in acquiescence to Aro's authority. "Will you require me to come for her later?"

"No, I will escort her back to her room should I deem it necessary to do so. For now, leave us as I wish to speak with her privately. I have …" Aro paused, moving to cup my face in his hand, "should you say a favor to ask of her." He chuckled, that creepy child-like giggle sending errant shivers spiraling down my spine.

_ 'Careful what favors you ask of someone who hates every fiber of your being,'_ I forced away the overwhelming urge to yank away from him only because the violent twisting motion would only serve to aggravate the still healing lashes on my back and legs. It was a pain that I was not willing to intentionally incite or make any worse.

"As you wish," Marcus answered, his footsteps sounding hollow against the stone floor as he exited the study, leaving me all alone with the 'immortal psychotic man-child from hell'.

Aro smiled at me as he pulled me over to a chair and forced me to sit down. He locked the manacles to the arms and legs of the chair so that I was unable to flee his presence. "I had hoped that I would return to find you making progress toward your freedom here in Volterra," He studied me closely and I could feel the touch of his mind as he attempted to read my thoughts.

'_You're not stealing my secrets so easily,'_ I allowed his probe to enter and explore making sure, once again, that any information that I wished to remain private, remained private. I held my gaze upon him, keeping my expression completely dead-pan—or my best poker face as a good friend of mine once called it.

After a few minutes, he chuckled softly, breaking the connection as our gazes locked. "So much talent, yet still so rebellious even after such punishment," He lifted back the cowl of my robe and lightly ran his fingers through my hair. "My sweet," he gently loosened the buckles on the straps that held the gag secure in my mouth. "I will allow you to speak only on the condition that you hold a civil tongue and only provide answers to my questions and nothing further, agreed?" His tone while questioning harbored beneath it firm demand. It was plainly obvious that he would have no qualms with further punishment should his demands be ignored.

I glared at him, trying to gain control of my thoughts and my tongue before I accidentally revealed my true thoughts about being Volturi. Instead of my true feelings about this place and its inhabitants, I merely nodded, still keeping my inscrutable expression.

"A wise choice, my sweet," He crooned pulling the gag free of my mouth but leaving it buckled around my neck. "Now, there is a good reason for your presence here, as I wish to ask of you a favor," An odd smile crept across his features as he once again tried to probe my mind, "It is a favor that requires you to work alone but before I can allow you to agree to this I must be certain you can be trusted to follow my orders."

I nodded, keeping my tongue firmly planted behind my teeth. On the inside, I was smiling—smiling at the opportunity to possibly escape Volterra and be free of this mad man and his demon-eyed entourage. "What is it you want from me?" My rough, scratchy voice faded toward the end.

"You will go to America where you will retrieve and bring back to Volterra a former member of my guard known as Santiago. He must be brought back to Volterra even if you must utilize brute force to do so, but he must be brought back alive."

I smiled, "Where in America?" I could easily get lost in that country and it would be a long time before even Demetri would be able to locate me.

Aro's gaze turned cold, a calculating cold that I had seen only once before, only a few hours after he had made into a member of the Volturi. I read his thoughts, as he wondered if I could be trusted to be outside of Volterra on a mission of such importance when I had recently been the reason for so much unrest. "You will go to Forks Regional Mental Health Facility, in the town of Forks Washington. I want you to proceed with extreme caution as I have an old friend and his son who are working there. They will very likely attempt to lead you astray or destroy you." His eyes narrowed then as he studied me seeming to know that I had been less than truthful as far as the extent of my abilities as he realized that I had read his mind.

I nodded in response to his words, my expression remaining void of any emotion as I closed my mind to his prying. _Pissing you off that you can't read my mind now, is it? Well, just wait because there's about to be a real piss storm when you find out that there's much more to me than you'll ever know.'_

"Now my sweet," He gripped my face in his hand, putting painful pressure against my cheeks, "Should you betray your orders in any way, I will not hesitate to terminate your existence permanently. I will send the guard to hunt you down and exterminate you if you so much as have thoughts of betrayal. Do understand, my sweet Natalya, I will know of your whereabouts. You can not hide your abilities or your secrets from me forever." He roughly pushed the gag back into my mouth, pushing my head down and forward as he secured the straps. "Do you understand?"

I nodded averting my gaze only because to lock gazes with him only made the anger in my blood boil even more.

"You will leave for America in two days, until such time you will," He unlocked the manacles and pulled me up from the chair, "Remain sequestered in a solitary room where you will be briefed further on your mission and Demetri will see to it that you prepare properly." By the time he had finished his warning, I realized we had traveled down through the bowels of Volterra and he had stopped and unlocked a room. He pushed me forward into the center of the room and attached a length of chain to the belt at my waist. It was just long enough for me to move in the room proper, forcing me to remain sequestered and preventing me from inhabiting the area just behind and around the room's only door. "Do as Demetri demands of you. The gag and manacles will be removed when it is time for you to depart." With that, he caressed my face once more before exiting the room and leaving me to my own thoughts and Demetri's briefings and preparation.


	6. Departure

_Departure_

"Take a seat brother Caius, as I wish to speak with you," Aro made a quick motion, the signal for his brother to sit down in the chair across from his desk. The study's lighting had been adjusted so that the walls drifted in the shadows created by flickering torch lights. "It is my understanding that you have a concern about my choice for the mission of retrieving Santiago and returning him to Volterra?"

"She's not ready to take on a mission of such caliber alone," Caius insisted not wasting any time mincing words with Aro. It was obvious that Aro's decision bothered him greatly just by the irritation plainly obvious in his expression. "She is untrustworthy and rebellious."

Aro's gaze narrowed slightly as he processed Caius' words, none of which portrayed Natalya in a positive light. "Who would you suggest then Brother Caius? All of the standing members of the guard are well known by Santiago? Do you not think that he would be more likely to flee from them rather than one that he has no prior knowledge of-such as Natalya?"

"Jane is at least trustworthy and unlikely to betray us." Caius locked a firm, steely gaze upon his brother not willing to relinquish his argument so easily. "She has the required experience and the proper training."

"Jane must learn her place," Aro's voice lowered losing the child-like quality and growing cold and concise, "And to do so she must remain confined until such time as she can learn to control her temper and adjust her attitude so that there will no more conflicts between her and Natalya."

"You are making…"

"Brother Caius," Aro interrupted him before he could even utter the words. "Jane will remain confined until such time as I deem that she has learned her lesson. I have chosen Natalya to fulfill this mission. I have no doubt that she will do as I have instructed," He paused then and his expression hardened even further, a tempered smile forming at the edges of his mouth, "Or else she will face permanent termination, she has already been suitably warned. Now, the time of her departure is upon us, please Brother bring her to me for final instructions." He gave a wave of his hand, signaling that the argument was over and that his decision was final, and watched as Caius stood and exited the study to carry out the orders…

The door to my room opened, the sound startling me from my study of a map of Forks and the surrounding area that Demetri had commanded me to memorize in its entirety. I barely managed to stand up from my seat at the makeshift desk before a violent jerk against the chain that kept me inside the room pulled me off my feet. Before I could even think of catching my balance, I was hauled up by my hair, a loop of chain wrapped around my neck.

"It's time; Aro wishes to speak with you." I glanced over my shoulder to find Caius, one hand holding the excess chain and the other pulling tight the loop around my neck. "Move! There is no time for your useless, petty rebellion." He pushed me in front of him keeping enough tension against the chain to keep me from even attempting any sort of escape…

_'What the hell do you want?'_ I shrugged hard, forcing Caius to release his grip on my shoulder even before we reached our destination. _'When I come back from this mission, and get free of these manacles, I'm going pull your head out of your ass, Caius, and then I'm going to cut your manhood off and feed it to you.' _I glared at him as he pulled hard on the chain, tightening the loop enough that even though as a Vampire I didn't have to breathe, the choking sensation was still painful. I kept my expression neutral, no reason to show him any sort of weakness, as we arrived at Aro's study and he pushed open the door.

"Go!" He demanded shoving me with enough force that I lost my balance, landing on my face nearly at Aro's feet. "You requested Natalya's presence, brother." He ignored the nasty snarl.

Aro easily lifted me back to my feet, his angry glare firmly focused on Caius. "There's no need to be rude brother, after all she will be bringing back a valued member of our family." His voice was colder than the walls of stone that surrounded us.

"She cannot be trusted and she has so far failed to prove her worth as a member of this coven." Caius crossed his arms on his chest and watched as Aro sat me down in the chair and removed the gag.

"Fuck you!" I hissed my voice scratchy from the extended periods of silence. "Maybe you should go get physical with that little blonde midget that you seem so fond of. I'm sure she would enjoy your company."

"Enough," Caius growled, his movements so quick that I didn't even have a chance to react before the back of his hand had connected with my face not once but three times. He leaned in close, "Unless you wish to have another 50 lashes applied to your back before you leave, I'd suggest you remain silent." He fisted me once more before stepping back to await further orders.

"Caius!" Aro's command could have sliced through steel, "Leave us! I wish to finish my instructions in private. We will discuss your actions later" He motioned his brother from the room, his gaze drilling holes in the other's back as he retreated, more or less slamming the door behind him. After a few minutes of silence—a silence so thick I could have cut it with one finger—he turned his attention once more upon me.

"He's such a ray of sunshine isn't he?" I questioned refusing to show the fact that I was beyond angry and growing impatient with Aro's gloating demeanor. "What do you want from me?"

Aro chuckled, firmly cupping my face in his hand, squeezing his fingers into my jaws, "You are to go retrieve Santiago and bring him back to Volterra alive." He leaned in close, his voice softening, "If you betray your mission your existence will be terminated, do you understand?"

I nodded unable to speak as his grip had forced my mouth open. He lifted my chin, forcing my head back, and placed something small, solid and ovular into the back of my throat. I struggled in an attempt to pull away, to spit it out but his grip was the equivalent of a steel vice.

"Swallow!" He demanded forcing my mouth closed and pushing his fingers against my throat until I obeyed his command. "Demetri, escort her to the transport vessel that will take her from Volterra to her final destination." His gaze locked upon me, "You have one week to complete your mission and return to Volterra. Do not force me to have your existence terminated." He jerked me up from the chair and handed me over to Demetri, still in manacles.

"Your wish is my command," Demetri answered securing me outside the door until he was finished receiving his own final instructions. "Do I need to accompany her to America?"

"Only as far as her initial arrival then you may return to Volterra. She will either complete this mission or she will cease to exist. I have ensured that she will remain cooperative during the transport as the capsule I have given her should activate soon after you are both aboard. She will remain sedated until you have arrived with her in America, after such time, she is to depart alone to complete her mission."

Demetri nodded, giving a slight bow of acquiescence before Aro dismissed him to carry out the escort. He wasted no time leaving Aro's presence and shutting the door behind him. "Let's go." He insisted taking hold of the chain at my waist. "I'll release the manacles on your wrists once we're safely aboard the transport." He pushed me forward. Unbeknownst to him, in my mind I was already pondering how I might thwart Aro's plans and free myself from not only being a Volturi but from the walls of Volterra once and for all.


	7. Lucidity

_Lucidity_

(Edward's POV)

"How's Santiago today?" I questioned as Chandra handed me his chart and the log that listed the times and durations of not only his medications but also of any psychotic episodes he had suffered since the incident that required he be placed in the straight jacket.

"No major issues as long as the medication remains at a stable level, if there is any delay in the administration of the doses, he begins to have small episodes but they are short lived and almost immediately go away once he's re-medicated." She watched as I studied the log and the nature of the recent episodes. "His physician is scheduled to come by late this afternoon and continue treatment of his wounds; will you be doing therapy with him today as well?"

I nodded, picking up a tablet and a pen from the basket, "Have Jackson bring Santiago to the therapy room next door to my office and secure him. I will also need the next dose of his medications in case the session takes longer than expected."

"Yes doctor," She made the call, giving the instructions to Jackson and then handing me the syringes from the medication room. "Jackson's on his way with Santiago now." She waited for further instructions before moving out from behind the desk to carry out her usual rounds.

"Thanks Chandra," I added as we parted ways at the end of the hall. She gave a nod and a smile as I entered the therapy room and she moved on down the hall toward the room that was first on her rounds.

I sat down across from where Santiago was sitting, his head lolling slightly in response to the effects of his medication. It was obvious as his gaze met mine that even though he was medicated, he was quite aware of his surroundings. "I'll call for you when we're done here." I motioned for the orderly to leave us alone and waited until the door was once again closed behind him before attempting, once more, to focus Santiago's mind enough that he might deal with some of the demons that seemed to continuously haunt his thoughts.

He stared at me, his expression blank for several long minutes, rustling his arms against the canvas of the straight jacket as much as the restraint would allow. "Don't want to talk," He mumbled shaking his head violently, "No talking, can't talk to abominations, against the rule…" The movement of his arms became more exaggerated as his agitation at my silent study of him increased.

I knew just by his movements and the aggravation that beneath the wall of medication, that his mind was trying to overload as it did when he would have a psychotic episode. The medication was the only thing preventing him from attempting to injure either himself or me. "Santiago, you seem disturbed, talk to me. What is bothering you, maybe I can help you work it out?"

He hissed air between his teeth, drops of spittle slipped from the edges of his mouth as his gaze lifted and locked with mine. "No," His expression turned angry then, his eyes darkening to what at one time would have been the deep crimson of the Volturi only now the color was more a blackened burnt umber rather than red. He tried to lunge forward. The momentum would have carried him to a point where he would have been standing over me, his face pressing into mine. The attempt failed as his chair was bolted to the floor and his straight jacket had been secured to the chair preventing him from rising from his seated position. "They're coming…can't talk to abominations…"

"Santiago, you can talk to me," I pressed keeping my demeanor calm but firm. "Who is coming?" I watched his agitation grow even more as my questions forced his mind to work overtime just to formulate answers. His gaze focused upon me then and for several minutes his restless motion totally ceased as the psychosis seemed to break into lucidity.

"Old red eyes," He leaned forward then, his arms going still against the inside of the jacket. The room went silent and his breathing came loud to my ears. "They're coming…coming to destroy me and you, they are…" He nodded, a sign that he agreed with himself in his assessment even if no one else cared to agree.

"How is it that you know that? I doubt you are being hunted, Santiago. Are you sure what you're saying isn't part of one of the hallucinations you experience during the times when you are sick?" As much as I wanted to believe that he was merely hallucinating, the deadpan expression and the insistence with which he had spoken those words left my danger sense tingling and warning bells ringing in the back of my mind.

"Sick, no, not sick," He mumbled his voice lowering. He surveyed the room, paranoia setting in as and it was obvious to me who he was searching for. "I know things because I don't see things that aren't truth." His nervous ticking began again, this time becoming slightly more violent as he tried to free his arms from inside the jacket. "They're coming to destroy…"

"Santiago," I called as his cognitive awareness began to drift. His eyes grew unfocused and his nervousness increased. "I need you to calm down for me; you will not be harmed here. You're safe." I soothed making notes on the tablet of what I knew had been a brief episode of total lucidity that had now faded into the precursor to one of his psychotic episodes. "How would Old Red Eyes know where you are unless you've been talking to him recently?"

He lunged forward again, the restraint keeping the action from actually coming to fruition. He hissed under his breath, his gaze glassy but intense. "Red eyes the all-knowing!"

"Can you tell me why you're being hunted by Old Red Eyes?" Even though I knew the answer to my question, it was an answer that Santiago had so far totally avoided either because it was too painful for him to deal with or his mind just had no concept of that part of his life any longer.

"They're coming…" He mumbled pulling violently against his restraints, "They're coming. Old Red Eyes wants me dead, I…"

"You what, Santiago, what did you do?"

"Betrayal…betrayal…betrayal…" He was becoming more and more agitated by the moment. I glanced down at my watch. He was due for another dose of medications; in fact it was past time by only about five minutes. In that span of time, he had become extremely unstable and without the restraints he would have already attempted to harm himself and anyone that happened to be in the same room. I made a note of his downward spiral as the medications had worn off on my tablet then stood.

"You betrayed Old Red Eyes then?" I questioned injecting the medications into the vein in Santiago's neck.

The drugs had an almost immediate effect, calming his restlessness and stalling the psychosis so that he was no longer agitated. "Betrayal," His now glassy gaze came to focus on me, "You have been warned, you have. Red eyes is coming…." The medication overwhelmed him, his head lolling backward in response to the sedation brought about by the drugs. I checked his awareness before moving into my office and calling for Jackson. By the time I returned to the room, Santiago was drifting in and out of sleep and the orderly had arrived to take him back to his room.

"Here is the log for his medications. Tell Chandra that I wish to keep the results of this session for now as I need to consult with his physician. I will be sure to make a copy for the files. His orders as far as the restraint are to remain the same."

"Yes doctor," Jackson agreed as he moved Santiago over into a wheelchair and took the paperwork from me before exiting the room.

As I sat down behind my desk, Santiago's warnings kept flooding into my mind. For the first time, since he had been admitted here as a patient, he had seemed completely lucid as if his mind had managed for that brief time to bridge the fracture enough for clear, sane thinking. If Aro Volturi had finally decided to send the guard from Volterra to destroy or worse reclaim Santiago, but why had they not tried before now? The puzzle was growing larger and each time Santiago talked about the Volturi another piece was landing on the board but for some reason none of the pieces seemed to fit together.


	8. Crimson Fog

_Crimson Fog  
__(Natalya's POV)_

My mind was consumed in a thick, numbing fog and even though I could, with effort, open my eyes and see my surroundings inside the transport, I couldn't keep them open more than a few minutes at a time nor could I react in time to stop Demetri from securing my wrists and ankles to the seat I had been ordered to sit in. I was conscious enough to realize that Aro had drugged me before I had left his presence but I was unable to process that revelation enough to question Demetri as to the reason behind it. I was also aware enough to know that the transport was moving and that the motion was far from smooth at times. I restlessly shook my head in an effort to fight the soporific effect of whatever Aro Volturi had given me only to find that the more I fought against it the worse the effect became.

I could hear Demetri chuckling at my expense as I tried to make my mind focus. I turned toward the sound only to find that my mind was unable to process words to respond. "Rebellion is futile, you should have known better than to think that Master Aro would allow you to be escorted to the origin of your mission without being certain that you would arrive, without incidence, to carry out your orders. You would be wise to get use to the fact that you are now Volturi and you will forever be at the mercy of Master Aro's whim. You are no longer free Natalya, now you must serve your Master whether you wish to or not." He gave my face a firm slap, chuckling as the stinging pain barely even registered a flinching response.

_ 'You will bring Santiago back to Volterra alive and if you fail your existence will be terminated.' _ Aro's warning rang through the fog like a church bell ringing over and over in my head. _'Your existence will be terminated, do you understand?'_ His words grew louder and more insistent as if he was standing over me demanding that I follow his orders.

I forced my eyes open, letting my gaze drift in a heavy almost hypnotic stare, to once more take in my surroundings. No Aro that much I was sure of or at least I thought I was anyway. The cloud of fog grew heavier as I sluggishly shifted my limbs and shook my head trying to fight back the wave of unconsciousness that was once more trying to overwhelm me. _'Yes, I understand. But who is…'_ Aro's words faded, his image growing blurry before disappearing into the thickening mist of sedative induced addle mindedness.

_'You two will learn to get along, even if it means you spend a few days in confinement together,'_ Caius' angry visage appeared from the haze, the harshness of his words startling me enough that I felt, what I thought was my body quiver in response. His breath I could feel, cold and damp, on my neck as he moved to stand in front of me, _'If they wish to act like newborns then they will be treated as such.' _ His face faded then into the blonde midget with her cat-like, crimson eyes.

Her presence filled my mind, her gaze piercing my body like a thousand red hot knives. She smiled in that quaint, almost psychotic way, her head cocking to one side slightly as she studied me. _'I'm at least trustworthy and not likely to betray Master Aro.' _ Her eyes sucked me in then, the crimson pools tempting me into their trap.

_'Petty parlor tricks don't work on me!'_ Her stare grew ever more intense as I tried to sink her image into the cloud of numbing fog that seemed to surround it.

_'See, I told you she was the instigator, Master Caius.'_ Jane's voice drove pain laden spikes through the ever present fog, her image moving closer, her gaze growing more intense as it seized me in its icy, vice-like grip.

Pressure and then throbbing pain surged in harsh spikes through my temples and then down my spine, blotting out the deep numbness as if it were black paint being spread upon a white canvas. '_No, please stop. Your tricks don't work on me Jane! They don't work!'_ I thought I felt my muscles contract in dulled spasms but my awareness was so diminished that the motion failed to really register as my body seemed to be trapped in a separate bubble from my mind.

_'50 lashes and be certain that the marks are permanent.'_ Searing fire coursed down my spine in all directions, the crack of the whip sending splitting pain across my temples. My mind shifted in attempt to push my body away from the fiery pain and the never-ending sound of the whip as it shredded my flesh. The attempt was futile. My body remained immobile—held in place by the sticky clouds of dense fog. It was as if I was trapped in a never-ending spider web, my body so entangled in the paralyzing strands that even the slightest motion was stamped out before it could be brought to execution.

_'Time for a feeding,' _The collar of my robe was pulled forward as cold hands exposed the flesh of my neck. Demetri's visage appeared within a column of fog as the fabric was shifted away from the arteries. _'Master Aro wants you at full strength when you reach your destination. Your mission must be completed as per Master Aro's orders.'_ There was a harsh pain—a ripping ache that almost seemed real—as a horizontal gash was made across the artery. Immense pressure followed as the tube was inserted into the vein and attached to the bag of blood that was now hanging somewhere above and just behind my head.

_'Must I still be treated as a newborn,' _The fog lifted slightly and with it came a brief moment when my eyes weren't so heavy I couldn't force them open. When my gaze finally settled and my brain registered that I was no longer trapped in the midst of the drug induced fog, it was Demetri's face that I saw. He was standing over my seat securing something above my head. "Consider yourself lucky, usually Master Aro doesn't provide for feedings before a mission."

His voice faded in and out as if he was standing at the end of a long tunnel. I shook my head as the fog once again began to move in and bursts of cold electricity began racing through my veins. I realized just before total blackness overcame me that the feeding had not been a hallucination after all…


	9. Mental Moments

_Mental Moments_

_(Edward's POV)_

I entered the house, putting my bag down on the desk that inhabited the alcove at the base of the stairs. The living room was unusually quiet as I moved toward the couch. "Anyone home?" I called knowing that it would sound as though I had practically yelled to anyone in the house.

"Edward," Carlisle's voice preceded him, his footfalls loud upon the stairs as he came down from what I assumed was his office to greet me. He glanced down at his watch, "You're home early son. Is there a problem?" He questioned noticing the tired but concerned expression upon my face and my overly preoccupied mental state.

I ran my hand through my hair as I took a seat on the couch, Santiago's words still fresh in my mind. "Maybe, maybe not. I had an interesting therapy session with Santiago this afternoon." I answered unsure of how to even begin to explain what had my thoughts in such turmoil.

"Is that what has you so preoccupied?" He questioned his tone weighted with concern for me. He knew if I didn't get whatever was plaguing my thoughts out into the open what would happen.

I picked up Santiago's file from the coffee table as he moved to sit down in the chair across from me. He studied my expressions as I flipped through the information from the earlier session. "Based on what happened, yes, my preoccupation is centered on things that were revealed during this last therapy session."

"Okay, well let's talk about it then?" He pressed wanting me to open up about what had bothered me so much that I would bring work home to study. "Edward?"

"I believe Santiago may have had a brief episode of total lucidity during our therapy session this afternoon." I admitted handing him the file that contained the minutes as I had written them down during the recent session along with Santiago's previous therapy sessions in summary.

Carlisle's eyebrow rose as he flipped through the material, scanning it in an effort to update his own memory on the subject at hand. "Interesting," He muttered more to himself than aloud as his gaze shifted from reading to me. "It is possible, although not likely, that part of him has reverted back to his former self. Did he have medication in his system when this incident occurred? Could your discussion have triggered it?"

I sighed, even though as a Vampire I had no real need to do so. "There was medication in his system at the start of the session." I replayed the events in my mind, slowing down the film reel and paying attention to the actual conversation between myself and Santiago. "There was no trigger. His actions were perfectly normal and then without any provocation he began insisting that Old Red Eyes was coming for him. I continued to press him and he finally responded with references to betrayal and that Aro would be coming to destroy him and anyone who stood in his path."

"Hmm," His brow furrowed with concentrated, concerned thought as he processed the details of the events and Santiago's responses.

"It really wasn't much but it has me concerned. If Aro is looking for him…" I allowed my thought to trail, running my hand once more through my hair.

"The likelihood of Aro wanting Santiago back is a real possibility and his reasons would be to prevent Santiago from revealing any deep, dark secrets that he might possess in regards to the inner workings of the Volturi."

"If that's the case then…but the question is whether or not Santiago was actually in a fully lucid mental state when he spoke to me earlier." I admitted my tone somber with weighted concern.

"Let's not jump to conclusions for now but in the near future we may need to consider moving Santiago here if Aro's intention is to attempt to either retrieve him or destroy him."

"We certainly are no match for prolonged attack by the Volturi especially if Aro sends the full brunt of his Guard." I reminded playing out the possible scenarios in my head with mostly negative results. "Bella has a formidable shield but even she can be overwhelmed."

"We must do what we can to keep Santiago safe as he is a patient in our care. I have suspicion that Aro won't send known members of the Guard but he will look to send one that is less recognizable and has the stealth to penetrate beneath our guard to retrieve or possibly destroy Santiago."

I nodded seeing no need to remind him of the danger that this situation placed us and the family in along with the threat posed to Santiago's existence. "Either way the situation bears monitoring, even if…" The rest of the conversation was drowned out by the sound of the family returning from their hunting trip. The door opened to reveal my daughter as she flew into my arms.

"Hi Daddy, hi Grandpa," She squeezed her arms around my neck as she climbed up to sit down on my lap. Her eyes shone with the exuberance of seeing family members that she had been away from all day as she surveyed the room. "Grandpa, what's that?" She questioned pointing to the manila folder that held Santiago's patient files.

"That's homework for your daddy and I," Carlisle answered closing the folder and placing it out of Renesemee's reach. "It's top secret homework." He gave her a wink.

"Oh," Her eyes grew wide and her smile grew bigger at the idea of having something top secret in her presence. "Is it dangerous?" She questioned giving my neck one more squeeze before climbing down only to climb into her Grandpa's lap and do the same to him.

"We're not going to allow it to be dangerous. Right now, it's just something that your dad and I need to keep a watch on, okay?"

She nodded in understanding, her gaze settling on Bella as she hobbled into the living room where we were sitting. "Grandpa, mom got hurt during our hike and now she's limping."

"Babe, are you okay? What happened?" I questioned helping her to take a seat next to me and lifting her leg up into my lap so that I could examine her ankle which was obviously sore by the way she had been limping when she entered the room from the kitchen.

"Landed wrong taking down an elk," She answered flinching as I checked her ankle for any obvious injuries such as dislocation or fractures. For a vampire, breaking a bone was an extremely rare occurrence but it was not impossible and the healing process was similar to what occurred within mortal humans except that it took much longer to completely heal in living undead than in mortals.

"There are no obvious fractures and it isn't dislocated," I assured giving my wife a comforting hug as she put her leg down once more.

"Hard sprain," Carlisle agreed just from the visual examination he had been doing from his seat. "Take it easy for a few days; it should heal with no complications. I'll bring you a wrap for it up from the basement when I go down to make copies of this in a bit."

She nodded, "What's that?" Her expression turning concerned as she noticed the blue strip across the top of the folder. Her gaze focused on me, "You're bringing files home now eh?"

I kissed her on the forehead as she snuggled closer to me, her expression turning into curiosity about the reason I would bring my work home as I had never done such a thing before. "Yeah, for now, it was important that I acquire a second opinion on one of my current patients."

"Oh," She cocked an eyebrow at me, "Is it some sort of secret, I mean…"

"No Bella, but until we are certain of the best course of action in regards to the patient's well being, we're keeping the details silent at least for the time-being." Carlisle answered watching his granddaughter as she drew a picture in her sketch book.

"Look," Nessie insisted holding up her sketch book after spending over an hour with pencil in hand. She made sure everyone could see her picture, "I drew a scary picture this time."

"Renesemee," Bella gasped in reaction to the picture that her daughter had drawn.

"What, but Mom, he's coming…" She insisted, her voice calm like snow falling on a mountain glacier.

"Aro's coming here, Ness, how do you know that?" Carlisle questioned his gaze locking with mine. The picture my daughter had drawn was a sketch of Aro Volturi with his hand outstretched to a male who resembled in features to Santiago. It was startling how realistic the sketch appeared and it was that realism that had taken my wife by utter surprise.

"I don't know Grandpa, just a feeling," She answered flipping over to a clean page in the book and taking her pencil in hand. "Just a feeling," She insisted beginning to sketch another picture in her book.


	10. Impressions

_Impressions_

_(Natalya's POV)_

_Where am I? I remember being on the transport and moving but…_ My head was pounding and my neck hurt as if I had been in a fight with something way bigger and much stronger. I shifted position only to realize that something very heavy was preventing me from even sitting up. The fog of whatever drug I had been given, even though it was dissipating, still came in weakening waves making it almost impossible to focus enough to realize the reason for my inability to move.

"You might as well give up, you are now Volturi Natalya, now and forever," His hand touched my skin, the pressure moving up my thighs beneath the robe and onto my stomach and chest.

My eyes fluttered open then to find Demetri atop me, his weight pressing me into what I assumed was a bed being that the room looked like the usual dilapidated motel room. _ What the hell?" _ I found out the answer to my question only a moment later when Demetri's hand moved again, this time to encase my breasts.

"Nice body, much nicer than Jane that's for sure." Demetri mused putting his tongue to my neck, his hand fondling my breasts as his tongue made laps along my cheek and across my neck, "With a great deal more sanity and spunk to boot."

_Get the fuck off me, asshole, before you permanently lose your manhood!_ I tried to shove against him, pushing upward against his shoulders in an effort to force him off of me only to find that my muscles were still too weak from whatever drug Aro had given me.

He chuckled, "Fighting is useless Natalya. You should be thanking me for this, considering if this was anyone else like Felix or Alec they would not be so gentle." He slipped the robe off me along with my shirt leaving my upper body exposed. He began slowly but firmly licking and fondling my breasts. His teeth raked against my nipples as he suckled on them, nipping me on the chest as he moved his mouth along my skin.

I clenched my teeth, my rage boiling over inside and slowly working its way toward the surface, blotting out the hot feeling of arousal that had crept into the space between my legs. Now not only did I abhor the Volturi from the standpoint that Aro had turned me into such a vile creature but they were ruthless in their intent to destroy human life and were unopposed to the violent sexual assault of non consensual women both undead and mortal.

"Oh, am I making you angry Natalya?" Demetri questioned pulling the rubber gag that I hadn't even realized that I had been wearing free long enough to wrap his lips around mine and insert his tongue into my open mouth.

I struggled then, my body still somewhat uncoordinated in response to the lingering effects of the drug. "Fuck you," I hissed the words coming out jumbled as I jerked my head to the side, biting his tongue with my teeth in the process.

"Bitch!" He hissed giving my face a sharp raking, the force of which rattled the bed's headboard and left me with bright spots flashing across my vision. "Bringing Santiago back to Volterra is not going to be an easy task and being that it is nearly dawn you have no choice but to remain in my presence until night fall." He raked my face again grasping my cheeks and shoving the rubber gag back into place.

"Get …" My words were strangled off as he secured the gag making sure that it was as far back in my mouth as it would go. His gaze focused upon me then as he held my head immobile against the bed. In his eyes there were flames, angry and intense. He secured me to the bed, cuffing my wrists above me to the bed's metal headboard before getting up from his position to do the same with my legs by attaching the length of chain from the manacles to the bed's metal frame.

"Now, I suggest you pay close attention for I seriously doubt that you have the knowledge or the capability to complete this mission but since I was ordered to prepare you, your failure is not going to end up being any fault of mine." He reminded pulling over a chair, sitting down, and beginning to grill me on my task and all of its nuances.

_I have plenty more brains than you'll ever have._ My irritated glower focused upon him as I began secretly plotting the many ways to destroy the Volturi once and for all. I thrashed against my confinement, receiving a harsh raking across my jaw each time I so much as interrupted him or became distracted from what he wanted me to focus upon.

This went on for what seemed like hours before his anger with me finally boiled over to the point that he stood from his place and exited the main room. He returned a few minutes later to sit down on the edge of the bed, his gaze studying me harshly for several long minutes. "Your existence depends on your success. You fail as I figure you will then I guess you'll learn what true Hell is all about." The cold in his tone was enough to send waves of heated ice down my spine and before I knew it he had once again pinned my head against the mattress his hand flashing with lightning speed as he raked my cheek before rubbing some sort of oily substance inside my nostrils. "I certainly hope you've been listening because in less than ten hours, it will be time."

I struggled futilely against the restraint. My head swam dizzily and I blinked frantically as my senses along with my awareness began to gradually diminish. My body twitched as I tried to fight against the sudden overwhelming lethargy. The attempt failed as a hot tingling sensation spread like wildfire through my body, blotting out the nerve signals and rendering my muscles flaccid and finally completely unable to function.

"Fighting against it is useless. Complete your mission and all of this torment will end, fail and you will only wish for such bliss as this." The weight of Demetri's body lifted from across my chest. My now bleary, overly distorted gaze focused momentarily to find him standing over me. A wave of hot needles made my muscles twitch feebly as he gave a firm tug against the gag and the manacles that held my position. My eyes blinked raggedly a few times before profound blackness overcame me…

…

How long I slept or was unconscious I have no clue but when my mind finally awoke from the depths of coma-like blackness, I opened my eyes to find the room immersed in utter silence with the exception of the rattling whir of the ceiling fan. I let my still half blurred, half inebriated gaze sweep my surroundings to find them vacant of occupancy other than myself. Demetri had abandoned me for Volterra.

Sluggishly, I shifted my position the motion sending shooting spikes of fire into my temples and setting the entire world spinning violently. The hood of my robe against the back of my head told me that I was no longer half nude nor was I flat of my back chained with manacles to the bed. Instead, I was lying on my stomach with my arms crumpled beneath me. My muscles twitched, the heavy, weariness returning in body numbing waves as the effects of the oil very slowly dissipated from my system. Feebly, I pushed my arms from beneath me, forcing myself into a more comfortable position before my body was once again gradually overcome by the paralyzing fog. _I have to get moving, I only have a week to figure out how to either get Santiago back to Volterra or somehow reverse Aro's bite and turn myself into something that isn't Volturi and…_


End file.
